LECTURE 1

INTRODUCTION TO AQUACULTURE
PREPARED BY: MWANGE C. MWIZA
INTRODUCTION TO AQUACULTURE

HISTORY OF AQUACULTURE
• Art of aquaculture can draw back to the ancient Egyptians of about
2500 BC.
• Hieroglyphics show the Nile tilapia being fished from artificial ponds.
• Chinese Carps (2000BC) where fished and spread to neighboring
countries.
• Romans are believed to reared fish in circular pond and divided the
pond in breeding ponds.
• Filipinos cultured fish in brackish water.
INTRODUCTION TO AQUACULTURE
• Japanese have been culturing eels for quite a long time.
• Indians have practiced aquaculture in reservoirs/dams (300 BC) Indian
carp: catla catla, Rohi robita, murigal.
• Common carps were cultured in monasteries.
ADVANCED INDUSTRIES: Started producing fish such as salmon (fish
fillets) and trout.
Industrialisation and hydroelectric power brought about development
in aquaculture.
HISTORY OF AQUACULTURE IN
ZAMBIA
• 1940s - 1950s
• Demonstration ponds were set up in Chilanga and in Mwekela in
Kitwe.
• Tilapia breams where tested.
DEFINITIONS OF AQUACULTURE
1. Farming of aquatic organisms in water, either fresh water, brackish
water or marine.
2. Fish farming involving captive rearing of fish under controlled
conditions. Fish farming is merely a component of aquaculture.
3. Deliberate human intervention activity in the productive life cycle of
an aquatic organism resulting in yield that exceed those from the
natural environment.
• Human interventions such as:
 Stocking the water with fresh feeds.
Fertilizing and maintaining water quality.
FISH GROUPS
• Mollusca
• Crustaceans
• Aquatic plants
• Farming implies the intervention
• Farming also implies individual or cooperate ownership of stock being
cultivated.
• Aquatic organisms that are harvested by an individual or cooperate
body that has owned them through
while aquatic organisms that are exploited by as common property
resources with or without licenses are a harvest of fisheries.
Working definition, FAO underscored the
following
1. That an organism found must be aquatic in nature.
2. There must be human intervention in the life process in the aquatic
organism.
3. There must be a component of ownership.
4. Aquaculture & fisheries must be statically differentiate. Records
from aquaculture should be differentiated from fisheries.
OBJECTIVES OF AQUACULTURE
1. To create employment opportunities for individuals and cooperations.
2. To properly utilize the available neutral resources for foods, money
and medicines.
3. Ornamental practices
4. To earn foreign exchange foreign exchange for individuals and
cooperations.
5. To integrate aquaculture in a farmer’s primary agricultural activities;
crop farming and animal farming to recycle organic waste
6. To provide another source of income.
OBJECTIVES OF AQUACULTURE
7. To increase food prd. And improve food quality and security.
8. An actor in the aquaculture value chain, by bringing about support services. i.e. seed
nurseries, hatcheries, wholesales, retailing processing, construction of aquaculture
facilities, supply of aquaculture facilities etc. through these services aquaculture
creates jobs for skilled and unskilled labour resulting in a multiplier effect on the
economy.
9. To replenish stocks of fish where they have depleted.
10. To generate profit; private sectors are generated by profit.
11. To rear fish of ornamental value: Black melly, Red sward tail, kissing gourami, koi carp-
red.
12. Fish can be used as control larvae
13. Fish can be used as bait.
OBJECTIVES OF AQUACULTURE
14. Fish do not spend enough energy on temperature regulation thus
more energy is concentrated on growth.
15. Fish can convert food to body tissues more frequently.
16. Fish breed prolifically.
SESSION QUESTION
List and explain any 3 main objectives of aquaculture.
STATUS OF AQUACULTURE
 Major aquaculture production countries include, China, India,
Indonesia, Filipin, Thailand, Korea, Japan, Bangladesh, Chile.
China has the highest aquaculture production. Reason?
China has put in place a deliberate policy to embark on large scale ..
China has ideal potential areas of aquaculture production and
prepared to make use of them.
China has increased in land water for aquaculture from 4.3 – 25.5%.
China has enhanced the productivity of aquaculture per unit area,
through research, extension services & better fish.
STATUS OF AQUACULTURE
 Increase the number of species of A.C production through the
inclusion of high value species for international market i.e. Crabs,
Shrimp, Abelone, Scalleps, Rainbow trout.
Introduction 60 exotic species and locally domesticated 20 species
from the world.
Improvement of 30 species through hybridization.
Established large scale factories where fingerlings are being
produced.
AQUACULTURE PRODUCTION IN
AFRICA
• Top aquaculture production countries in Africa.
1. Egypt
2. Nigeria
3. Ghana
4. Kenya
5. Uganda
6. Tunisia
7. Zambia
8. Malawi
9. Malaysia
10. South Africa
AQUACULTURE PRODUCTION IN
AFRICA
• Africa produces mostly tilapia which are native to Africa.
• Egypt is the highest aquaculture producers in Africa and they source
this fish from the sub-Saharan region.
• Nigeria is the highest producer of bubble fish/cat fish.
AQUACULTURE IN ZAMBIA
Aquaculture in Zambia has been influenced by the following factors:
1. CLIMATE
2. DEMAND AND SUPPLY
3. AVAILABILITY OF SUITABLE SPECIES
4. PARTICIPATION OF DIFFERENT PARTIES
CLIMATE
• Zambia has a favourable climate for aquaculture production.
• She experiences temperatures of about 26 – 32 degrees Celsius in the hot and
wet season and about 15- 19 degrees Celsius in the cool and dry season.
• She receives rainfall that ranges 500 -1270 mm.
Region l – between 500 – 600 mm.
Region ll – between 800 – 1000 mm.
Region lll – between 1000 – 1200 mm.
She covers an area of about 5500
9 million
74 million
CLIMATE
SOURCES OF WATER : Rivers, Lakes, Surface water & permanent
streams.

SOILS
Soils in Zambia are generally favorable for pond aquaculture
production.
DEMAND AND SUPPLY
• Fish is the cheapest source of protein in the diet and it is estimated 140 000 per ton and 85 000
tons
• Which brings the deficit to 60 000

17 000 000 × 12 kg = 204 000 000 kg

= 204 000 tons
Aquaculture: 45 670 tons
+
Fisheries : 94 000 tons = 139 670 tons
Less 139 6700
64 330 145 000
85000
AVAILABILITY OF SUITABLE SPECIES
TYPPE OF SPECIES DESCRIPTIVE NAME

Oreochromis andersoni 3 Spot bream, Kafue bream

Tilapia rendalli Red breasted bream

Oreochromis macrochir Green headed bream

Oreochromis niloticus Nile tilapia (Exotic species)

Others include Carps, Catfish

PARTICIPATION OF DIFFERENT
PARTIES
• Government of the republic of Zambia
• Cooperating parties
• Commercial farmers
• Private, Public ownership
• Fish seed production companies
• Fish feed meals production companies
• Regulatory institution
• Education institution
PARTICIPATION OF DIFFERENT
PARTIES
1. Government of the Republic of Zambia
• Established an aquaculture department and department of fisheries to take
care of technical and significant issues.
• The GRZ carries out breeding trials to improve breeds and they also produce
fingerlings.
2. Cooperating parties
UNHCFR
WORLD FISH ORGANISATION
AFRICA DEVELOPMENT BANK
INTERNATIONAL AQ
PARTICIPATION OF DIFFERENT
PARTIES
3. Commercial farmers
There are 16 established fish farmers in Zambia
4. Small-scale farmers
Over 6000 fish farmers and at least over 13000 fish ponds.
5. Private, public ownership
• Development bank of Zambia: loans money to farmers
• Citizen EEZ
• Africa development bank: spearheading the project “Zambia enterprise for aquaculture development
project”.
• Their objective is to develop aquaculture in an established business through enhanced technologies by:
Training farmers
Loans to produce table sized fish
Fish seed production & establishment
• Aquaculture development association of Zambia: facilitate regulations that benefit the aquaculture
industry.
PARTICIPATION OF DIFFERENT
PARTIES
6. Fish feed manufacturing companies: produce feed in all ranges.
Ranges: fry, juveniles, fingerlings, adults.
Examples include, Tiger feed, Novatek, Farm feed, Ale’ aqua.
7. Seed production company:
Examples include, Chalimbana, Fish hatch, Msekese, Chirundu green
farm, Savana street.
8. Fish outlets:
Capital fisheries
PARTICIPATION OF DIFFERENT
PARTIES
9. Regulatory bodies.
Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA): regulates effluent
and waste water so it cannot pollute the environment through
Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) and Environmental Project
Briefs (EPBs).
Anyone producing more than 100 tons of fish must be assessed by EIAs
while those producing less than 100 tons undergo EPBs.
10. Education institutions: examples include, NRDC, UNZA, MU, (which
offer integrated aquaculture courses) & CBU which offers aquaculture
as a program.
CONSTRAINTS TO AQUACULTURE
PRODUCTION IN ZAMBIA
• Chronic shortage of quality seed for production.
• Lack of comprehensive training & material.
• Poor marketing support
• Inadequate extension services
• Low level of investment
END